There is a need to increase the number of veterinarians trained in biomedical research to support the nation's health in a number of areas, including: the prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, and control of newly emerging and reemerging infectious diseases; food and water safety, and; development and appropriate application of animal models for use in biomedical research. The goal of the Summer Scholars Research Program is to provide veterinary students a first exposure to research, with the desired outcome of ultimately attracting more graduate veterinarians into a research career. The primary means to this goal is the support of students in a summer research project by the NIH T35 grant. Since 1995, we have provided research training for a total of 129 veterinary students through the T35 Program, 48 males and 81 females. We have completed the final budget period for the current program (ended May 2010) and are requesting the third renewal for this T35 Program asking for another 5 years of funding from 2011 to 2016. Over the past several years, the procurement of additional sources of support, such as Merck-Merial, Morris Animal Foundation and OSU-CVHS, has allowed the number of students that can be accommodated in the Program to expand, with as many as 20 students participating in one summer (2008). The expansion of the Program, both in number of students involved and in content of lectures, activities, and field trips has greatly enhanced the outcome of the overall Program. We believe the enhancement of the Summers Scholars Research Program to provide a comprehensive research culture for the professional veterinary students will result in not only more students being exposed to research, but more students entering into a research career. Faculty mentors are working across a range of biomedical disciplines using a variety of model systems, and all 20 listed in this proposal have active funding from federal, state or industry sources. Faculty have experience mentoring trainees, currently, there are 44 graduate trainees enrolled in our program, 14 postdocs, and 16 pathology and clinical residents. We have designed the STRT Program to maximize the time each student spends actively engaged in research. Students are expected to participate for 40 hrs per week for a minimum of 12 weeks (allowing one week for vacation) during the three summer months between their first and second years or second and third years of the professional curriculum.